Real expenditures for dental services have increased very little since 1978. Most traditional demand factors were moving in a direction to increase expenditures during this period. Moreover, the supply of dentists was increasing. to test whether a non-economic change occurred which influenced aggregate dental expenditures, an aggregate demand function was estimated using real per capita expenditures as the dependent variable. The relative price of dental services, real per capita income, percent of the population covered by dental insurance were explanatory variables. Analysis indicates a change in the demand for dental services appears to have occurred in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Expenditures are less than they would have been under similar economic conditions if this structural change had not occurred. Estimated annual savings in expenditures are $4.7 billion in 1986. Estimated cumulative savings from 1980 to 1986 are $23.3 billion in 1986 dollars.